Another Time
4 July 2018: Towards midnight as we lie in our continental hotel bed, Matthew asks me, “What country are we in?” I take a moment to make sure I give the correct answer, “France”. It is not a silly question. Two days before we had exited Italy. This morning we woke in Geneva, Switzerland – the big day of visiting the Caran d’Ache factory. Right now we are in the alpine village of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and tomorrow we will drive to Grimsel Pass in the Swiss Bernese Alps.
Even while I’ve been working on this drawing, I’ve been thinking most of the time that I’m drawing a Swiss alpine town. No – Chamonix is in the French Alps – I remind myself – (well, since 1860 anyway).
What time was it? It was dusk. It was before Covid-19. It was when we could still travel. It was a day dream, a beautiful memory, another time.